airajhane: Laika was sent up into space to die in a confined space, and her last moments were agony. Probably overheated -- the temperature controls malfunctioned -- but even if that didn't kill her, she was doomed to asphyxiate when the oxygen ran out. And yes, this was the plan: send up an animal, monitor its life signs for a few hours, then leave it there to die.

Humans can be pretty awful sometimes. At least the dog that THIS space suit was created for had a chance to come back to Earth (unlike Laika).